One hot day, a thirsty crow flew across the fields searching for water.
For a long time, he couldn’t find any. He became weak and was almost ready to give up.
Suddenly, he spotted a water jug on the ground.
The crow quickly flew down and looked inside.
There was water at the bottom, but it was too low for him to reach with his beak.
He tried pushing the jug over, but it was too heavy.
He tried putting his head inside, but the opening was too narrow.
The crow sat beside the jug and thought carefully.
Then he noticed some small stones lying nearby.
An idea came to him.
He picked up a stone and dropped it into the jug.
Plop!
The water rose a little.
He picked up another stone.
Plop!
Again, the water rose.
The crow continued dropping stones into the jug, one after another.
Finally, the water rose high enough for him to reach it.
He happily drank his fill and flew away feeling refreshed.
A small sparrow who had been watching asked, “How did you know that would work?”
The crow smiled.
“I didn’t.”
The sparrow looked surprised.
“Then why did you keep trying?”
The crow replied, “Because giving up wouldn’t have brought the water any closer.”
The sparrow nodded.
The crow spread his wings and flew away.
Sometimes, the smartest solution isn’t the one you know immediately.
It’s the one you discover because you refuse to give up.